Top Five Products I Love from Nannying

Sidenote to my pregnancy posts:  As I post I plan to be completely honest about my feelings and thoughts as we ride this rollercoaster into parenthood.  I plan to use this blog as a way for me to process this journey.  Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

It has truly been a blessing to be a nanny for two infants prior to having our own. God really looked out for me on this one! The only detail that could've made it better is if I had one boy and one girl (both are girls). It has given me the opportunity to give a great amount of infant products a test run before registering or buying them for our family. Since there is such a vast amount of products to choose from I am thankful for any kind of direction about what we might need.

It has been interesting to compare which products each family has that are similar and different. It has actually shown me if it worked for both families it's a good place to start for ours, or if they have different products I can choose the one I liked working with the best. It's honestly an experience that would benefit all first time parents :)

1. Boon Grass Drying Rack: I loved this thing! Each family has a different system of drying bottles/nipples/pump accessories, but I like this one the most. I could crowd lots of things on here or just a few. There is also a flower or tree attachment so pacifiers and other things can hang so there's more room for drying bigger products. Target carries all three, the drying rack, the tree and the flower.  They also have a Boon Lawn Drying Rack which is just a larger version of the Grass one.  I never felt like the Grass one was too small, so I can't justify taking up more counter space.

Drying Rack:  http://www.target.com/p/boon-grass-countertop-drying-rack/-/A-12190250
Flower: http://www.target.com/p/boon-stem-countertop-drying-rack-accessory/-/A-14296784#prodSlot=medium_1_32&term=boon+flower+drying+rack
Tree: http://www.target.com/p/boon-twig-countertop-drying-rack-accessory/-/A-14296752#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=boon+twig+drying+rack+

2. Cloud b Sleep Sheep, aka the Sleepy Sheep:  Both families have one of these.  My current family has the full size and the last one had the travel size.  As far as I've read and used both versions the only difference is the size.  Each have four sound settings: Mother's Heartbeat, Spring Showers, Ocean Surf and Whale Songs.  Both families regularly use the Ocean Surf setting and none of the others.  I think the Mother's Heartbeat and Spring Showers are also okay, but the Whale Songs is a little silly.  They both have Velcro straps so they can be attached to a crib, carseat or stroller.  The sound box can also be removed for easy cleaning of the stuffed animal or for even a small noise machine for travel.  Since both seem to have the same volume settings, the same two time settings which is automatically turns off after (23 and 45 minutes), the same four sounds I registered for the smaller travel size.  John and I like to travel and still hope to get out and about with the babe so it seemed like the obvious choice for us.

Regular Size:  http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Sound-Machine-Soother-Sleep/dp/B000GKWA66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361806268&sr=8-1&keywords=sleepy+sheep
On the Go Size:  http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Travel-Machine-Soothing-Sounds/dp/B000J6CDY6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361806268&sr=8-2&keywords=sleepy+sheep
The Sheep Sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81oqpfW_yc0

They also have a Giraffe Version, but I wasn't as much of a fan of those noises.  It can also be found on Amazon.com.  Here's a YouTube on that if you want to hear them (skip to 45 seconds):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvnvJi_hiEI 

3.  Baby Bjorn or some kind of comfortable sling/carrier:  I'm not sure what version of the Baby Bjorn carrier the first family had but I loved it.  The family I'm currently with has an ErgoBaby carrier that I'm excited to try out.  I understand that there are times for a stroller and times for a carrier, but I'm more fond of a carrier.  It was especially useful for walks.  With the first family I got to bring my dog to work and they also had a dog.  I could strap Miss H to my body and have one leash in each hand.  It was much simpler than trying to maneuver a stroller and the two dogs.  Miss H loved the carrier too.  She didn't like being strapped into it, but the second we were moving around she was fine.  John and I received a Original Baby Bjorn as a hand-me-down and I just washed it last week, so we're set.  I'm still considering putting an ErgoBaby on our registry though.  I've heard so many raves about it.  

Original Baby Bjorn: http://www.amazon.com/BABYBJORN-Baby-Carrier-Original-Classic/dp/B0009JOSNM/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1361807583&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+bjorn
ErgoBaby: http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Carrier-Black-Camel-Lining/dp/B0010PW3A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1361807874&sr=1-1&keywords=ergo+baby+carrier

4.  Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer:  For the first family and me in the first few months I worked there this baby was a lifesaver.  Miss B at my second home has a different chair that doesn't bounce but she loves it.  Miss H needed to be bounced at all times.  This bouncer was where she often slept for the first few months.  It was really easy to just rest a foot on the bottom and bounce it.  It didn't take much effort at all, but I would notice that my calves were sore at the end of the day.  This bouncer also has sounds and vibration, but I rarely used those because the bouncing seemed to be enough for her.  The bouncer that Miss B has also has sounds and vibration and I find myself using it because the seat doesn't bounce.  I guess the seat will end up being our babe's personal preference, but hopefully he/she likes the one we picked out.

Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-My-Little-Snugabunny-Bouncer/dp/B0042D69XS/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1JVSUH6YJMY5N&coliid=I36ZJ8P4XKKFTK
Fisher-Price Baby Papasan:  This is the one my current family has, but I couldn't find it online.

5.  Halo Sleepsack Swaddle:  Both babes have one of these and they are a lifesaver for naps.  I could always get both little ladies to go to sleep, but they would startle themselves and wake up with their flailing arms.  This great sack keeps their arms by their sides can helps them to stay sleeping for their nap time.  Miss B is on a nap schedule, so when she's supposed to wake up I just quietly unstrap her swaddle and she naturally wakes up.  I think it's a great system.

Halo Sleepsack Swaddle:  http://www.amazon.com/SleepSack-Cotton-Swaddle-Cream-Small/dp/B003E6OBMA/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1361809123&sr=1-1&keywords=halo+sleepsack+swaddle

I was planning to post my top ten, but because this post got so long I'll just stick to my top five.  I'm sure there will be other posts about how helpful being a nanny has been.  I have loved it and I'll be sad to let it go.  I probably won't have much time to be bummed about it though since I'll have my own little bundle of joy.  Thanks for reading!